


Didn't Mean To

by livvy_x



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, bughead - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-01
Updated: 2017-12-01
Packaged: 2019-02-28 18:04:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13276947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/livvy_x/pseuds/livvy_x
Summary: While the core four is at Pop’s, talking about anything but the twisted things going on in Riverdale, Betty hears a bit too much of another table’s conversation about the Black Hood. Jughead notices and helps with her clenched fists, but it is the first time Archie and Veronica find out about it.





	Didn't Mean To

Betty was constantly on edge. It was the news of Penny Peabody targeting her boyfriend. It was learning about Jughead’s and Toni’s kiss. It was the burden of always trying to keep her friends safe. It was how the Black Hood said that the reckoning has coming. It was the suspicions she had of Sheriff Keller. It was the constant pressure that her mother put on her. It was the way her father acted towards the family, like a stranger. It was the fact that she hasn’t seen or heard from Polly since she told her to have the farmers look out for her. She never felt completely calm, not even in the safe place of her boyfriend’s arms at night.

Currently though, keeping her a little bit distracted, the core four was seated in their regular booth at Pop’s. Jughead and Betty sat on one side while Veronica and Archie were on the other. This was another place that made her feel somewhat safe, surrounded by the protection of the people she was most comfortable with, with a vanilla milkshake in front of her. Even that though, one of the places where things felt okay, she wasn’t completely fine, even if she seemed like it.

Archie was currently talking about anything and everything other than the scary things happening around town. He was telling them all of the conversation he and Jughead had the other night. “It’d be nice though, wouldn’t it? We just leave after graduation, go to New York,” he weakly smiled at the thought of that.

“Yeah, imagine that,” Veronica beamed. “Like he said, Betty. How awesome would it be if you and me lived together and Jug and Arch only lived a little bit away from us?” Betty smiled and nodded in agreement. “That’d be the life, wouldn’t it?”

“We can dream, I guess,” Jughead spoke up, pulling Betty into his side as he took a sip of his black coffee. He was imagining how nice it’d be to get rid of all the shit involved with being a Serpent… how nice it’d be to escape with the love of his life and his best friends.

They all let out a sigh, silencing for a bit. They took a moment just to imagine their lives if they could actually be like that. Ridding of the craziness really would be wonderful.

While none of them spoke, they heard someone from the table behind them talking about the letter the Black Hood left at the door of this very diner the other day. Being that her hand was touching his lap, Jughead felt Betty fist curl up. “Hey,” he said softly, causing her to look at him. When she did, he placed his hand on hers and shook his head. She gulped but nodded, flattening her palms out.

Veronica and Archie gave them each confused looks, but didn’t have the chance to say anything before Betty started to talk. “What if we all apply to NYU? We could actually try and make this a reality, but like, with college included,” she said.

To that, Veronica nodded. “Daddy could probably make a call, and we’d all get in,” she said excitedly. Of course, involving her father’s line of work. For a while then, they just talked about college and if they’d all actually be able to survive doing something like that.

When Jughead got up to go to the restroom, Betty immediately tuned back into to the conversation that the other people in the diner were having, completely disregarding her friends. She was hearing things about the Riverdale Reaper and if it had any connections. She heard them talk about what his motives were, and that’s when her hands clenched because she was the motive. She inspired him, and my god, did it make her want to burst into tears.

Once Jughead returned, he saw his girlfriend sitting there with her regular expression on her face, but her fingers digging very hardly into her skin. “Fuck,” he said, sounding pained as he slid into the booth. He knew Archie and Veronica were watching, but at this point, that didn’t matter. “Let me see,” he said softly. He put his hands out, waiting for her to put them into his. Once she did, and he saw all the blood there, tears started to well in her eyes. Gently, he cleaned it up with the napkin that was on the table. Every time she’d wince because of the pain that shot through from the contact, he’d feel his heart break for her.

“What is happening? Why is her hands bleeding?” Jughead and Betty heard Veronica ask to Archie, under her breath, but no one answered. Obviously, Archie had no clue either.

When Jughead finished, he curled her hands up into his own. He kissed her knuckles, and then pulled her closer to kiss her forehead. Taking deep breaths in and out, Betty rested her head on his shoulder. “I didn’t mean to,” she said, hoping he wasn’t disappointed or disgusted by her nervous habit.

“I know,” Jughead responded softly, rubbing up and down her back. “It’s okay. You’re okay,” he told her, feeling her breath go a little uneven. Waiting until she caught her breath, he kept rubbing her back. When she looked up, her eyes were still welled with tears. Jughead frowned, wrapping both of his arms around her. “I love you,” he whispered, knowing reassuring words helped.

Betty nodded. “I love you too,” she said. “I’m okay,” she reminded herself.

Cutting them off, the two people sitting across from them simultaneously said, “What the hell is going on?”

For his girlfriend’s sake, Jughead was going to tell them to mind their own business, but Betty stuck her hands out before he had the chance. Her palms were up, showing the incisions that her nails created into her skin. A bit of dry blood crusted around them, but she didn’t bother wiping it away. Showing them this side of her made her feel small and ashamed, but there was no turning back now.

“I—What’s that from?” Archie asked, sounding worried. He didn’t even want to look at the small wounds. Veronica mirrored his expression, but she was inspecting her hands meticulously.

Betty took a deep breath, pulling her hands back. Avoiding direct eye contact, she fixated her gaze on her milkshake. “When something stresses me out, or makes me mad or nervous or whatever, I, uh—” She couldn’t continue so she just clenched her fist up as a visual explanation. “I dig my fingers in til I bleed,” she said sadly. “I don’t mean to do it.” It felt like all of her insecurities were showing right now.

The silence Veronica and Archie were giving was understandable, but it caused Jughead to give them a threatening look that told them to speak up. “Hey,” V then said, trying to seem unphased despite how sad this made her. She reached for her, placing a hand on her forearm. “Everyone have their nervous ticks, don’t they?” She talking lovingly, giving a weak smile to show her that everything was gonna be alright.

Betty looked up to see if she was being honest, and when she saw her eyes, her heart settled a little, feeling better. Hesitantly, she turned to Archie. “Ronnie’s right,” he agreed. “We’ll help you work on it, okay?”

Jughead silently thanked his friends for making her feel a little better. When he turned to look at Betty, she was gratefully smiling at them. He could tell this confession had drained her, but at least she wasn’t as worried as she was about her friends finding out. “Thank you,” she whispered. Jughead wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her cheek.

Veronica smiled and nodded. Suddenly then, she clapped her hands together. “So, sleepover at the Pembrooke tonight?” She immediately changed the subject to make Betty more comfortable. “Mommy and Daddy aren’t home,” she wiggles her eyebrows. They all agreed. Betty laughed, thanking the heavens that this dark detail of hers was understood by the people she loved. Things were tough, but at least they all had each other.


End file.
